ternstrom



No. 617,6l4. Patented Jan. I0, I899. E. TERNSTRUM. BREECH MECHANISM FORQUICK FIRING GUNS Application filed Mar. 14, 189$.)

(No Model.)

Witnessas m: NORRIS Farms co. PHOTO-LITNQ, wAsnmt-mu. n c.

Nu. 617,6l4. Patented m. :0, I899. E. TEBNSTROM.

BREE CH MECHANISM FOR QUICK FIRING GUNS.

Application filed Mar. 14, 1898.) (No Model.)

3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

E TEBNSTRUM.

Patented lam-l0, I899.

BREEfiH MECHANISM FOR QUICK FlRING GUNS. Application filed Man 14,1898.\

(No Model.)

3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

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ERNST TERNSTRGM, OF PARIS, FRANCE.

BREEC H MECHANISM FOR QUICK-FIRING GUNS.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent NO. 617,614, dated January10, 1899.

Application filed March 14, 1893. Serial No. 673,724. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ERNST TERNs'rRoM, a

subject of the King of Sweden and Norway,

residing at Paris, France, have invented new and useful Improvements inBreech Mechanism for Quick-Firing Guns, (for which I have applied forpatents in France, dated August lat, 1897, and in Great Britain, No.26,558, dated November 13, 1897,) of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to breech mechanism for quick-firing guns, theimprovements having especial reference to the percussion devices.

The chief object of the said invention is to obtain the two followingadvantages, viz: first, that the mainspring can never remain armed,whereby the possibility of accidents is avoided even if the gun be keptloaded; second, that the firing-pin can be rearmed after a misfirewithout opening the breech of the gun or rotating the breech-block.

According to myinvention the firing-pin is pulled back and themainspring armed or compressed by means of a trigger pivoted to atrigger-lever, which is itself pivoted to the breech-block of the gun,inclined planes upon the trigger being arranged to cooperate with otherinclined planes adjacent to the trigger in such a manner that whenduring the backward movement of the trigger-lever and trigger a certainpoint is reached the firing-pin is disengaged from the trigger andallowed to fly forward to strike the percussion-cap, a single movementthus serving to compress the mainspring and fire the gun. A spring inconnection with the trigger-lever serves to move back the parts afterfiring, so that the trigger again engages with the firing-pin.

To enable my invention to be fully understood, I will describe the sameas applied to breech mechanism of the kind described in thespecification of former Letters Patent No. 520,029, of May 22, 1894,wherein a cylindrical breech-block which has its axis eccentric to theaxis of the barrel of the gun is provided with a longitudinal opening,which can be brought opposite to the barrel for introducing thecartridges, and with an inclined plane for forcing the cartridges home.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is an elevationof the breech endof a gun of the kind described having my improvements applied thereto.Fig. 2 is a section of the same on the line 2 2, Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is ahalfsection on the line 3 3, Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectionalView of a portion of the breech-block, showing the firing-pin, thetrigger, and operating means therefor. Fig. 5 is a View of a portion ofthe breech-block with movable parts removed, showing one of the inclinedcam-surfaces for tripping the trigger. Fig. 6 represents a horizontalsection taken on line 6 6 of Fig. 5. Fig. '7 is a detailed per spectiveview of the trigger.

a is the breech end of the gun, and bis the breech-block, which ismounted eccentrically to the axis of the bore of the gun and pro videdwith the longitudinal opening 0 and with the inclined plane 01.

e is a hand-lever having upon it a cylindrical boss f, which is fittedinto and is capable of rotating in a corresponding recess in thebreech-block b, the said lever being provided with the handle g, havinga safety-catch h, and with a spring-bolt 't' for locking the lever tothe breech-bolt. These parts, however, forming no part of the presentinvention are not further described.

The boss f of the hand-lever e is formed with a longitudinal openingj,which coincides with a hole in the breech-block in which the firing-pin7t slides, the said firing-pin being made hollow and having within itthe percussion-spring Z, which bears at one end against the bottom ofthe recess in the firing-pin and at the other end against the back ofthe recess j in the boss f.

m is the trigger-lever, which is mounted upon the pivot-pin n in arecess in the handlever e and the free end of which extends into arecesso in the breech-block and has attached to it the lanyard p, bymeans of which the gun is fired.

q is the trigger,which is pivoted to the trigger-lever n by the pin qand which at its free end is of hook shape, as at 1 and adapted toengage in a slot 4 in the wall of the firingpin 7t, as clearly shown inFig. 2.

7" is a longitudinal recess in the boss f, in which the trigger q Works,and in this recess j is formed an incline 8, against which an inclinedlug s on the trigger is adapted to come into contact in such a mannerthat when during the backward movement of the said trigger the inclinedlug 8 comes in contact with and rides up the incline s the hook g isdisengaged from the recess 1 in the firing-pin,

so that the latter is free to fly forward under the impulse of thespring Z, which is compressed during the backward movement of thetrigger.

t is a spring which is secured to the trigger and serves to normallyhold it, with its hook 1 in engagement with the slot r.

u is a second spring in connection with the firing-pin,which springnormally serves to retain the point of the firing-pin behind the face ofthe breech-block. This spring is considerably lighter than the spring Z,so that when the firing-pin is released by the trigger and thefiring-pin is driven forward the momentum of the said firing-pincompresses the spring L L and allows the point of the firing-pin to movebeyond the face of the breech-block to fire the cartridge. The reactionof the spring returns the firing-pin to its normal position,with itspoint behind the face of the breech-block, as hereinbefore described.This spring at its front endis held in place by a divided ring 7:,having two verticalinner faces which engage with corresponding verticalfaces 10 on the sides of the firing-pin. The firing-pin is preventedfrom turning by the engagement of a slot formed in its lower side at itsrear end, with a stud or projection f on the boss f, as shown, the saidstud having parallel sides, which engage the walls of the slot 70. InFigs. 5 and 6 I have shown this stud f formed on the upper end of ascrew f ,which is screwed into a threaded aperture in the boss,while inFigs. 2 and 4 the stud is represented as being formed integrally withthe boss.

In order that after the trigger-lever has been pulled to discharge thegun the trigger shall automatically return into engagement with the slot1" in the firing-pin, the pivot '12 of the trigger-lever is extended andhas mounted upon it a spiral spring 00, one end of which is suitablyfixed in the recess in which the said pivot-pin n is placed, as shown inFig. 1,while the other end is fixed to the trigger-lever, the saidspring being placed in torsion, so that the normal tendency of the saidspring will be to retain the lever in the position shown in Fig. 2, thetorsion of the spring being slightly increased when the trigger-lever ispulled, as hereinafter described.

y is a stop formed upon the breech-operating lever 6, against which theend 2' of the trigger-lever m impinges to limit the movement of thelever when operated by the lanyard 29.

The operation of the apparatus hereinbefore described is as follows-thatis to say: The lanyard 1) being pulled rearwardly, the trigger-lever mis moved so that the trigger (1 draws back the firing-pin k, at the sametime compressing the spring Z. By the time the said spring issufficiently compressed the incline s has impinged against and moved upthe incline s,whereby the trigger is withdrawn from engagement with thefiring-pin, which being thus released is thrown forward by the spring Zand strikes the percussion-cap of the cartridge.

In cases of misfire the action on the trigger-lever can be repeated asoften as desired without opening the breech.

Although I have described my invention as applied to breechmechanism ofthe kind hereinbefore referred to, it will be understood that myimprovedfiring mechanism can also be applied to other forms of breech mechanism.

Having now particularly described and as certained the nature of my saidinvention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare thatwhat I claim is 1. In a breech mechanism for quick-firing guns, thecombination with the breech-block, of a longitudinally-movablefiring-pin in the breech-block, an actuating-spring therefor, aretracting-lever pivoted to the breech-block, a trigger pivotallyconnected to said lever and having a hook portion adapted to engage thefiring-pin, and inclined cam-surfaces on the breech-block adapted toengage said trigger and positively withdraw it from engagement with thefiring-pin, substantially as described.

2. In a breech mechanism for quick-firing guns, the combination with thebreech-block provided with'a longitudinal recess, a movable firing-pinin said recess having a hollow body, a coiled spring for said firing-pinlocated within said hollow body, a retractinglever for said pin, pivotedto the breech-block, a trigger pivoted to said lever and having a hookedportion to engage a recess in the hollow main body of the firing-pin,means for preventing said firing-pin from turning in said recess andinclined cam-faces in the breech-block for positively withdrawing thetrigger from the firing-pin, substantially as described.

3. In a breech mechanism for quick-firing guns, the combination with thebreech-block provided with a longitudinal recess, of a firing-pin insaid recess provided with flattened guiding portions and having a hollowmain body, guides engaging said flattened portions of said pin toprevent it from turning in said recess,a retracting-lever pivoted to thebreechblock, a trigger pivotally connected to the said lever and havinga hook portion to engage a recess in said firing-pin, a coiled springwithin the hollow body of said pin for actuating the same, a spring forholding said trigger horizontally in engagement with said pin, andinclined cam portions on said breechblock for engaging the trigger andpositively withdrawing it from engagement with the firing-pin,substantially as described.

In witness whereof I, the said ERNST TERN- sTRoM, have hereunto set myhand this 1st day of March, 1898.

ERNST TERNSTRGM.

\Vitnesses:

EDWARD P. MAcLEAN, JOHN S. ABEROROMBIE.

